The NorthStar AGM Battery + Voltage Booster Upgrade

I wouldn't go that route... No auto resetting PTC fuse, "The PTC device (electronic fuse) incorporated in the MK2 offers far better circuit protection than both the OEM fuse it replaces and all other types of voltage boosters. Should an electrical fault develop in the vehicles wiring other types of booster diodes will be destroyed and need to be replaced, this is not the case with the MK2 unit, in the event of an electrical fault occurring, the PTC device in the MK3 detects the excessive current flow and turns off preventing damage to the booster unit, the vehicles wiring, and alternator. Once the electrical fault has been removed the PTC device automatically resets and the booster unit will resume normal operation."

https://www.hkbelect.com/product/182-mk2-micro-blade-75a-electronic-fuse-version-2015/

 

We like them. And they are super stealth.

 

I’ve seen that booster for other Toyotas. The 0.8-1.0v setting is completely useless. It will cook an AGM and definitely shouldn’t be used. I wish we’d see more options in this space, but at this point I think HKBs products are the most ideal. I also question products that specify a boost amount range vs an exact specified amount.

 

Thanks, guys - I'll stick with HKB. Only their Mk3 is available on eBay (their website is all out of stock). This seems to be the one I'd want for a 2nd gen Tacoma: https://www.ebay.com/itm/224393420344

 

That is the one you want.

 

Seems to be the same as the one I bought: https://www.ebay.com/itm/322650712885

They seem the same, and I'm happy with mine.

 

Can someone educate me as to how a PTC is superior in a significant way to a traditional fuse in a sensing circuit? I’m assuming traditional fuse blows and I get an alternator light on the dash and some other such happens afterward? PTC goes back to business as usual like any breaker?

I’ve used the voltageboosterpro product in 3 iterations on 2 vehicles now with the lower setting and haven’t had any issues, but liked the idea of more adjustability out of the Aussie product.

They were on holiday or hiatus, or whatever when I needed their booster and I haven’t circled back on it.

 

Correct, the PTC automatically resets, the traditional fuse needs to be replaced to restore alternator function. While PTC is a better design, I wouldn't say it is significant. The likelihood of blowing the Alt-S fuse is low, and if it does you get a battery light on in the dash and simply swap the fuse with the spare one on the fuse lid.

The VoltageBoosterPro in the low setting will work fine, just no need for the higher setting. I personally don't like that is specs 0.4-0.5v as a range in the low setting vs a fixed value, but assuming it is actually in that range it should be good. 0.5v seems to be the optimum setting. The adjustable HKB is adjustable in 0.2v increments, the 0.4v and 0.6v would be the most useful settings, but in my testing 0.6v ran a little higher than the 14.8v max spec sometimes at cold start in cooler temps, so I'd suggest a 0.5v boost to keep a little more safety margin. Because of this, for my use, I don't see the HKB adjustable booster as significantly better than the VoltageBoosterPro in terms of charge voltage (other than the PTC component) as booth would likely be set to the 0.4v rating.

 

Thank you for the in-depth explanation!

I had a voltmeter hooked up in my last toyota and the readings looked good at their peak with the current setup. I’ll just leave what I have in place.

 

One disadvantage to the VoltBoosterPro design though, is physical size/layout. You need to be sure to get one compatible with the Tacoma fuse box due to the rigid bulky design vs the HKB unit is much more universally applicable with its flexible wire design.

 

I had one of their old units made for a GX460 that I originally had retrofitted into an gx470 with remote leads, and was able to make it fit now in the Tacoma. Luckily the diodes were the correct orientation to the Tacoma circuit too.

 

thank you for this

 

https://www.hkbelect.com/product/182-mk2-micro-blade-75a-electronic-fuse-version-2015/ -

In simplest, explain like im 5 -

This "fuse" auto resets instead of blowing out, correct? (Aside from doing its job of adjusting the alternator charging current)

Probably be a good idea to keep the original fuse around in the truck in the event it ever 'fails' in the middle of nowhere.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224393420344

Guess I gotta wait until its in stock

 

Correct. There are fuse holder slots already filled with spare fuses in the lid of your fuse box, just add the spare alt-s fuse to the others already there. The auto reseting fuse is nice and should never need to be replaced since it will auto-reset, but the real critical thing here is that this boosting solution is fused. Many of the voltage boosting solutions are not. While it is very unlikely that the alt-s fuse trips, having a non-fused circuit to the battery is how electrical fires occur. Every connection to the battery should be fused, with zero exceptions. This solution maintains the fuse using an auto-reseting version while boosting the voltage the correct amount and maintains the original form factor so it is extremely versatile in many vehicle configurations. The Tacoma can use the MK2 of MK3 boosters. Both are currently out of stock.

 

Mine tripped one day. I was driving (out of state), nice day, normal speeds, no extra electrical load, and it tripped. Battery light came on, and the voltage reading dropped. Truck continued running fine.

I drove to work (on the battery). At the end of the day, truck started right up, the MK2 had reset itself, and all was well. Never tripped since.

 

Which diode??

 

IN stock!

 

in stock here as well, purchase made

 

That was fast...just tried to order one on eBay and they're sold out again